"Nice to Meet You, Number Two"

My second year teaching--HUZZAH! So much more excited for this year than last year. Notes to self:

• be more organized
• do not be afraid of parents (I don't care how old they are)
• don't let Common Core ruin your (or the kids') life
• use more fun lesson plan ideas from Pinterest
• teach art
• don't take (too much) work home
• celebrate the small successes
• RELAX

Yes. There was much to reflect on at the end of last year, so hopefully I can do better this year. I'm trying to shift out of survival mode so I can enjoy my job more. Though I can say I love it more than anything in the world. I feel like every time I talk to people about it I just whine and complain (because I'm a terrible, negative person), but I really can't imagine a better job. I get paid for teaching kids that I love and that love me back. I really do enjoy being in charge (just ask Scottie) and these kids listen to me and love me when I'm bossy structured. :) 

Anyways, I updated my room a little. Not a ton. ...it's still a work in progress, and probably will be forever. But I like it.

I was such a loser teacher last year doing birthdays. I'm going to try to be better this year.

I bought these superhero bulletin board guys last year but never used them. How silly of me.

I know you can't read the signs, but they're for mean, median, mode, and range. Read this poem I found on pinterest:

 

Hey diddle diddle,

median's the middle!

You add and divide for the mean.

Mode is the one you see the most,

and the range is the difference between.

 

There! Now you'll never forget.

I stole this idea from bestie Rochelle. All of the prepositions we're supposed to memorize in fourth grade. I'll have the kids put them to whatever tunes they want, then we'll vote on which one we like best and memorize that as a class. I used those little Velcro dots, so I an remove one or two at a time while we memorize until they're all gone. :)

My Idaho History wall! I missed my bestie Sara while putting this up since she helped me last year.

Also, I got those bins from DI and Walmart. Art supplies are irresistible...and it was a constant battle keeping kids focused instead of pouring glue all over their pencil boxes. So they'll keep all art supplies in those bins until we need them. Problem solved!

I didn't get my chart in there very well, but Scottie built the stand for me!! It's wonderful. Someday I'll take the time to spray paint it so it's nice and pretty.

My Back to School Night table. I had most of my parents come--yay! They ate all my cookies, but I had very few offer to bring extra supplies for the class and only one volunteer to help me out in the classroom once a week. This is very different from last year. I understand that they're all buying supplies for all of their kids...but I bet none of them have 23 they're buying for. When they run out of anything, I usually end up supplying it...and it gets expensive!

So I can keep track of who is where when we're writing...

The Batcave. I had one student's mom say her child was a little afraid of Batman...so I tried to explain to her that he's my protector, especially when I'm at the school alone at night and there are funny noises. She asked me to be in a picture with her and Batman, so I think she'll warm up to him.

More math stuff. Positive and negative (because we don't use those enough) number line, angles, lines, rows, columns, diameter, and radius.

I spray painted the brick here black. When they took down the chalkboard last year and put in a new white board there was empty space where this nasty brick was visible. I'm trying to use the space now that it looks nicer. These are my classroom jobs, and I used the Velcro dots again so I can switch out the stars more easily. Plus, Velcro is just fun.

What they kids saw on their desk at Back to School night

 

A note from moi with a glow stick bracelet

Everybody was doing all this cute stuff in their hall for BtSN, and I had nothing. So I ran to the Dollar Store, bought some crepe paper, and did this. My sweet father-in-law bought me the School House Rock dvd, so I used their theme: Knowledge is Power!

I promised Scottie I wouldn't post these to facebook, but I didn't say anything about the blog...

Here's Scottie on his first day of school!! We're too poor to be able to afford a parking permit at the ISU satellite campus, so he's riding the bike his grandpa gave him a few years ago. I'll probably give him rides during the winter, but it's nice for him to ride his bike while it's nice outside.

 

Out of the driveway...

And away he goes!

Thoughts

1. I'm more excited about this school year than I was about last school year. ...waaaaaaaaaaay more excited.  Mayhaps it's because I *sort of* know what I'm doing.
2. I hate warm milk almost as much as I hate melted ice cream.

1. I have had one nightmare a week about the first day of school since mid-July. This happened to me last year. I think the most memorable one from this year was when I only had about ten girls in my class, but they were all 6-7 feet tall and wouldn't quit chewing bubble gum or listen or follow any of the rules/procedures.
2. The reason the previous was an absolute nightmare is because I have absolutely loathed the smell of bubble gum since I was little. It seriously makes me gag. It comes in the bags of candy that I buy for my students, but I refuse to hand that out until the end of the day, when they're on their way out the door.

1. I still love eating boxed macaroni and cheese. I don't care if I'm an adult. It's yummy and quick.

1. I am so ridiculously excited to see Muse for a second time!!! Even with the risk of sounding like 7th grader Emily, they are my favorite band ever! :D

1. I love how much my parents share with me. For instance, I'm typing on this wonderfully fast/high tech laptop from my parents. Scott once mentioned that I must feel like I'm living in my parents' house...they gave us their old couch set, TV, and their piano. Little by little, I'm collecting what I grew up with as my parents update. I love it.
2. I am also ridiculously excited for Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker to come out on the Wii U! It's one of my top Zelda games and it will be amazing to play in HD. I can't wait for Christmas to get here. :)

1. We are probably the shame of our neighborhood right now. We have spent three summers trying to bring our lawn back to life...to no avail. We watered, planted more grass seed, watered some more...nothing. I think this goes back to our plant/pet/parent blog, eh? Anyways, so we decided to kill the lawn and start over. So, for most of this summer, we haven't had a lawn--just a few giant dirt patches. Scott and his brothers chopped down four of our trees (I will post pictures someday), so we're working on killing the stumps. Anyways, I totally feel like trailer trash and get embarrassed whenever we have company. However, we have big dreams for our "lawn"! After we rip out the stumps, we'll plant lilac bushes along our fence. Then, because our lawn is so small, we can afford to buy sod. Insta-lawn! We're planning on removing the rocks from around the sides of our house, put in some new dirt, and planting some flowers and other pretty things to liven it up a bit. Hah, neighborhood! Then we'll be living the dream!
2. I love my husband. So much. He starts his masters program on Monday, and I think I'm more nervous about it than he is. He'll do great, though. Of course. I'm afraid we won't be seeing much of each other for the next three years, and that's kind of a bummer. He's taking night classes, which is super because he can still work, but it sucks because we both have day jobs until 4...then he has class from 6-9, and that's my bedtime. I'm thinking I'll be awfully lonely during the week. But I'm so proud of him! By 2015, he'll have his MAcc (Masters of Accounting), CPA (certified public accountant...like The Producers! haha), and his MBA (Masters of Business Administration). wOOt!

That's all for now, folks. I've been so slack in blogging...I haven't blogged about Muse (which was in February), my whole summer (Billings, Disneyland, and Seattle), and I've changed a bit in my classroom and want to show that off (I know it's not that cool or special, but I pretty much live there). So...I'm sure I'll be having more free time in the evenings the next few years. I'll blog then. ;)

p.s. Koji Kondo is still alive and kickin'! We got him on Scottie's birthday, so he's almost 5 months old. And he's such a good fish. He never cries or whines, doesn't make that much of a mess, and always eats his food. That's my kind of pet!

Our Journey to Parenthood

     When Scott and I first got married, we kinda thought we'd have start having kids about three years into our marriage. I'd be done with school, and we'd be on our feet by then. It's been two and a half years now.

    Our first married summer we planted a garden. That's only keeping plants alive for a few months, right? Easy peasy. Turns out...not so much.

       We got it started, got it growing, and harvested some fruits of our labor. And then...we let it die. Like, before it should have. I guess we got tired of watering and weeding or something. It was a premature death.

       The next summer we decided to try again with some potted plants. We had some other plants before that hadn't made it either. We started a joke that we couldn't have kids until we could keep a plant alive for a year. So we bought some flowers...

     And once again, it was an epic failure. There must be something about September. Maybe it was the fact that I started student teaching and Scott got busy with Bankers and....well, enough excuses. Another one bit the dust.

     However, we bought a tree the same time that we bought those flowers. And the tree...the tree! It was hearty! We only had to water it once a week! Surely we could manage that!

     Success! There have been some scary patches...but we always managed to bring it back. Oh, this tree. It's been wonderful. It hasn't been quite a year...but close enough.

     We finally did it! We kept a plant alive for a year!

...

    But with all the failures, we knew we didn't graduate straight to a child. It's like we graduated from high school...now we're ready for college, not a doctorate.

     We graduated to a pet! Huzzah!! We've been married for two and a half years. It's time for a pet.

    A furry pet, though? No. I don't do furry. I don't like the hair everywhere, and I have a slight phobia of animal hair getting in my food. Now, I know it's not really that way and I have friends that have dogs and cats that are just wonderful. We had cats and dogs when I was little, and I adored them. Just...not so much as an adult, I guess. So...what to get? We decided to start small. A betta fish seemed to be just the thing.

     So here we are! Meet Koji Kondo--our new male crowntailed betta fish. He's beautiful. He has a silver body with blue and red fins. Sigh. He's great. We bought a nice bowl, some food, the stones for the bottom of the tank, and some water cleaner. We got everything set up for Koji when I was reading the water cleaner solution. We've owned him for about an hour and a half now...and he's still going strong. I think that's a good sign. However, we've already got a problem. As we were putting the water cleaner in the bowl, I noticed it said it was not, in fact, a cleaner, technically. It's a pH balance formula. So we need that...but we need a chlorine cleaner thing, too. Sigh. Our first parental mistake. It won't be our last either, unfortunately. I just hope he stays alive until Monday when we can get it. Are these things totally necessary? Do we really need it? I don't know...but that's what's recommended, so we'll get it.

; )


  Anyways, we're excited about the newest addition to our family. Maybe, if we can keep the fish alive for a year, we'll graduate again...
    

Things I Love About Winter

I really, really dislike winter. The lack of sunlight and warmth really gets to me, so I often feel depressed and lazy during the cold months. I thrive throughout the summer with sandals and sunglasses and rolled-down car windows.

That being said, I don't think I could live without winter, either. I mean, there are some things that you simply cannot enjoy in the summer like you do in the winter. And here, my dear friends, is my list about my love affair with winter.

1. Hot Chocolate

Scott and I found these giant mugs (soup bowls, really) at DI. And we fill them with chocolate and then spend the next two hours drinking the warm and chocolatey goodness. My in-laws (bless them) bought us two cans of Morning Moo, which is about how many we go through per winter. I seriously drink almost a cup a day.

2. Holiday Movies

3. Winter Fashion

Sweaters

Pea Coats

Layers

Tights

4. CHRISTMAS!!

                                            

                   The music...the lights...the Christmas spirit...the food...it's all pretty fabulous. Plus, Christmas break. Yessssssssssssss.

Christmas crafts. This is the only major craft I attempted this year, but I'm a first year, and therefore I do not have an abundance of supplies. Next year, I'll do the snow globe and something else crafty. Anyways, these paper plate snow globes were pretty fun. :) We also did Santas, elves, and Christmas trees to hang in the hall. So fun. :)

                                                    



Alas, Christmas break is almost over, unfortunately. I miss my students like crazy, but it's nice to not have to grade papers every night. I still have a few more days. Scott and I are planning on seeing both Les Miserables and The Hobbit, so I'm stoked. Hurray for winter and all things that come with it!

I Love...

1. Flushed Away (if you haven't seen it, watch it!! It's what I'm currently watching as I blog/correct/lesson plan)

2. my students (all 27 of them. Two of them are moving in the next couple of weeks, and I'm having a hard time imagining my life without 'em)

3. DiGiorno pizzas

4. Four things that start with "M": Mom, Miles, McKenzie, Muse (new album out in one week!!)

5. the rice bag my mom made for me

6. honey-roasted peanuts

7. a full gas tank

8. going to the temple

9. PicMonkey

10. My life. Things are pretty perfect right now. I'm finally getting paid for doing what I love most (teaching!). It's incredibly time-consuming and definitely stressful (I have their little lives in my hands! Kind of ;), but there is nothing more rewarding. And finally, finally things are working out for Scott. The Lord had a definite plan in mind for him, and I'm grateful we've found that path. Within a matter of a week Scott found out he could take his pre-reqs at BYU-I, applied, got his ecclesiastical endorsements (both in one night), got accepted, made a special request to get into the one (full class) that he needed to, and got in. Besides all those blessings, he has the most wonderful part-time job. He's working at a cabinet company that's being very flexible with his school hours. He also gets free time to work on homework, which is really nice. We are so incredibly blessed. Also, although I'm surrounded by babies and pregnant friends, we are not baby hungry. Thank goodness for my brother- and sister-in-law who have moved back to the area who are willing to share their adorable children with Scott and I. We get all the pleasure of playing with them and being loved by them without having to do any of the parenting (which I get enough of at school). So...I have nothing to complain about. Everything is simply: wonderful.

I'm just feeling really blessed right now. It's so wonderful to have the knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for each of us. We've been searching for His plan for us for a while, so it's nice to know we're making the right decisions and doing what's best for our little family.

w00t for life!

Classroom

Can you believe I've been in school for a month already??

 

I can't. I feel like we're still working on getting used to everything. I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm just finally getting all my classroom supplies. On Friday, I got the rest of my books. Huzzah! No more changing around my schedule to borrow books from the other 4th grades. Now I can set up my schedule the way I want to instead of working around the other classes (though I will be forever grateful that they shared). All I need now is my bright link. Woohoo!

 

If it looks like I have a room full of desks, that's because I do. 

 



 

The Fortress of Solitude is where my students pull cards and do Re-Focus sheets. Fortunately, I haven't had to pull a single card or do any Re-Focus sheets. Besides being way too chatty and having a hard time following directions, they're great kids.

 The Bat Cave!

 

Isn't he handsome?? Forgive me my Avengers t-shirt, Dark Knight.



 

Scott drew Alfred for me. Isn't he awesome??

 

 

I seriously have some of the sweetest kids. This is only one of the many apples I've gotten from my students.

 

They give me all sorts of treats! I love being spoiled by them. :)  Besides the apples and these pretzals, I've gotten a couple book marks, homemade necklaces, a bag of chocolate covered pretzals, and a cup of jello with fruit. And many, many pictures (a few of which are seen below. The front of my desk is now covered with pictures).

I love Idaho history!

 

 

 

We wrote stories on the first day of school of what we would be like if we were super heroes. They're stories were pretty epic, I'm not going to lie.

 

 

Last Friday, we made Idaho cookies. The other two wonderful 4th grade teachers made sugar cookies with an Idaho-shaped cookie cutter. Then the kids used other candies to symbolize the geographic locations of Idaho.

 

licorice = rivers

blue frosting = lakes

mini chocolate chips = mountain ranges

Rolo = Craters of the Moon

chocolate chip = Mount Borah

 

They turned out so cute.

 

 

And that's how school's going so far.